Systems and methods for content interaction

ABSTRACT

Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media can provide a creative tools interface that includes one or more options for visually modifying at least one media content item to be posted through a social networking system. At least one visual modification is applied to the media content item in response to a user selection of one or more of the options. The visually modified media content item is posted through the social networking system, wherein the user designates whether the visually modified media content item is posted as an ephemeral media content item or as a non-ephemeral media content item.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/369,682, filed on Aug. 1, 2016 and entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODSFOR CONTENT INTERACTION”, which is incorporated in its entirety hereinby reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present technology relates to the field of content interaction. Moreparticularly, the present technology relates to techniques for providingusers with the ability to interact with content.

BACKGROUND

Today, people often utilize computing devices (or systems) for a widevariety of purposes. Users can use their computing devices to, forexample, interact with one another, access content, share content, andcreate content. In some cases, media content items can include postingsfrom members of a social network. The postings may include text andmedia content items, such as images, videos, and audio. The postings maybe published to the social network for consumption by others.

Under conventional approaches, users may post various media contentitems to a social networking system. In general, media content itemsposted by a first user can be included in the respective content feedsof other users of the social networking system, for example, that have“followed” the first user. By following (or subscribing to) the firstuser, some or all content that is produced, or posted, by the first usermay be included in the respective content feeds of the following users.A user following the first user can simply unfollow the first user toprevent new content that is produced by the first user from beingincluded in the following user's content feed.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments of the present disclosure can include systems,methods, and non-transitory computer readable media configured toprovide a creative tools interface that includes one or more options forvisually modifying at least one media content item to be posted througha social networking system. At least one visual modification is appliedto the media content item in response to a user selection of one or moreof the options. The visually modified media content item is postedthrough the social networking system, wherein the user designateswhether the visually modified media content item is posted as anephemeral media content item or as a non-ephemeral media content item.

In some embodiments, the systems, methods, and non-transitory computerreadable media are configured to determine that the user has selected anoption to insert a text overlay in the media content item, determine astring of text specified by the user through a virtual keyboardpresented on a touch screen display of the computing device, and cause atext overlay corresponding to the string of text to be inserted in themedia content item.

In some embodiments, the systems, methods, and non-transitory computerreadable media are configured to determine one or more objects in thesubject matter captured in the media content item based at least in parton a trained content classifier and provide one or more suggested textoverlays based at least in part on the objects.

In some embodiments, the systems, methods, and non-transitory computerreadable media are configured to determine that the user has selected anoption to insert a graphical overlay in the media content item,determine at least one graphical overlay that was selected by the user,and cause the selected graphical overlay to be inserted in the mediacontent item.

In some embodiments, the systems, methods, and non-transitory computerreadable media are configured to determine one or more objects in thesubject matter captured in the media content item based at least in parton a trained content classifier and provide one or more suggestedgraphical overlays based at least in part on the objects.

In some embodiments, the systems, methods, and non-transitory computerreadable media are configured to determine that the user has selected anoption to draw content in the media content item, determine contentdrawn by the user through a touch screen display of the computingdevice, and cause the drawn content to be inserted in the media contentitem.

In some embodiments, the systems, methods, and non-transitory computerreadable media are configured to provide a content feed interface inwhich the posted media content item is included, determine that the userhas performed one or more navigation gestures while navigating thecontent feed interface, and cause the content feed interface to bemodified in response to the navigation gestures performed.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure can include systems,methods, and non-transitory computer readable media configured toprovide a creative tools interface that includes one or more options forvisually animating at least one portion of a media content item to beposted through a social networking system, at least one visual animationis applied to the media content item in response to a user selection ofone or more of the options, the visually animated media content item isposted through the social networking system, wherein the user designateswhether the visually animated media content item is posted as anephemeral media content item or as a non-ephemeral media content item.

In some embodiments, the systems, methods, and non-transitory computerreadable media are configured to determine that the user has selected anoption to animate a text overlay in the media content item and cause thetext overlay to animate when the media content item is viewed based atleast in part on the user selection.

In some embodiments, the text is animated to simulate a shading effect.

In some embodiments, the shading of the text changes in response to oneor more device gestures performed using the computing device.

In some embodiments, the systems, methods, and non-transitory computerreadable media are configured to determine that the user has selected anoption to insert an animated graphical overlay in the media content itemand cause the graphical overlay to animate when the media content itemis viewed based at least in part on the user selection.

In some embodiments, the graphical overlay is animated along at leastone boundary of at least one object included in the subject mattercaptured in the media content item.

In some embodiments, the systems, methods, and non-transitory computerreadable media are configured to determine at least one object includedin the subject matter captured in the media content item based at leastin part on a trained content classifier, determine that the user hasselected an option to animate the object in the media content item, andcause at least one graphical overlay to animate at least one portion ofthe object when the media content item is viewed.

It should be appreciated that many other features, applications,embodiments, and/or variations of the disclosed technology will beapparent from the accompanying drawings and from the following detaileddescription. Additional and/or alternative implementations of thestructures, systems, non-transitory computer readable media, and methodsdescribed herein can be employed without departing from the principlesof the disclosed technology.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example system including an example contentprovider module, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example creative tools module, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example navigation gestures module, according toan embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 4A-O illustrate example interfaces, according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example method for accessing a creative toolsinterface, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example method for accessing a creative toolsanimation interface, according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates a network diagram of an example system including anexample social networking system that can be utilized in variousscenarios, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a computer system or computing devicethat can be utilized in various scenarios, according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

The figures depict various embodiments of the disclosed technology forpurposes of illustration only, wherein the figures use like referencenumerals to identify like elements. One skilled in the art will readilyrecognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments ofthe structures and methods illustrated in the figures can be employedwithout departing from the principles of the disclosed technologydescribed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Approaches for Content Interaction

People often utilize computing devices (or systems) for a wide varietyof purposes. Users can use their computing devices to, for example,interact with one another, access content, share content, and createcontent. In some cases, media content items can include postings frommembers of a social network. The postings may include text and mediacontent items, such as images, videos, and audio. The postings may bepublished to the social network for consumption by others.

Under conventional approaches, users may post various media contentitems to the social networking system. In general, media content itemsposted by a first user can be included in the respective content feedsof other users of the social networking system that have “followed” thefirst user. By following (or subscribing to) the first user, some or allcontent that is produced, or posted, by the first user may be includedin the respective content feeds of the users following the first user. Auser following the first user can prevent new content from the firstuser from being included in the user's content feed by simply“unfollowing” the first user. Under conventional approaches, users caninteract with media content items by liking a media content item orposting a comment in response to a media content item. Such approaches,however, typically do not permit users to visually modify existing mediacontent items. Accordingly, such conventional approaches may not beeffective in addressing these and other problems arising in computertechnology.

An improved approach rooted in computer technology overcomes theforegoing and other disadvantages associated with conventionalapproaches specifically arising in the realm of computer technology. Invarious embodiments, users can visually interact with media contentitems using a creative tools interface that provides various editingcapabilities. In one example, when posting a media content item to asocial networking system, a user can make visual modifications to themedia content item using the creative tools interface. Some examples ofvisual modifications include adding text overlays or drawings (e.g.,scribbling, doodling, etc.) using virtual writing instruments (e.g.,brushes, markers, etc.). The visual modifications can also involveadding graphical overlays (e.g., icons, stickers, filters, etc.) tomedia content items. Moreover, in some embodiments, the visualmodifications can involve adding animations to media content items. Oncethe visual modifications are applied, the user has the option to sharethe media content item with other users of the social networking systemeither through an ephemeral content feed in which the media content item(i.e., ephemeral media content item) is temporarily available or througha non-ephemeral content feed in which the media content item (i.e.,non-ephemeral media content item) persists for some extended period oftime. The creative tools interface, therefore, allows users to visuallyenhance the media content items they share with other users of thesocial networking system. Such visual enhancements can help facilitateinteraction among the users and can also drive user engagement with thesocial networking system.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example system 100 including an example contentprovider module 102, according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. As shown in the example of FIG. 1, the content providermodule 102 can include a content module 104, a follow module 106, aninteraction module 108, a creative tools module 110, and a navigationgestures module 112. In some instances, the example system 100 caninclude at least one data store 114. The components (e.g., modules,elements, etc.) shown in this figure and all figures herein areexemplary only, and other implementations may include additional, fewer,integrated, or different components. Some components may not be shown soas not to obscure relevant details.

In some embodiments, the content provider module 102 can be implemented,in part or in whole, as software, hardware, or any combination thereof.In general, a module as discussed herein can be associated withsoftware, hardware, or any combination thereof. In some implementations,one or more functions, tasks, and/or operations of modules can becarried out or performed by software routines, software processes,hardware, and/or any combination thereof. In some cases, the contentprovider module 102 can be implemented, in part or in whole, as softwarerunning on one or more computing devices or systems, such as on a useror client computing device. In one example, the content provider module102 or at least a portion thereof can be implemented as or within anapplication (e.g., app), a program, or an applet, etc., running on auser computing device or a client computing system, such as the userdevice 710 of FIG. 7. In another example, the content provider module102 or at least a portion thereof can be implemented using one or morecomputing devices or systems that include one or more servers, such asnetwork servers or cloud servers. In some instances, the contentprovider module 102 can, in part or in whole, be implemented within orconfigured to operate in conjunction with a social networking system (orservice), such as the social networking system 730 of FIG. 7.

The content provider module 102 can be configured to communicate and/oroperate with the at least one data store 114, as shown in the examplesystem 100. The at least one data store 114 can be configured to storeand maintain various types of data. For example, the data store 114 canstore information describing various content that has been posted byusers of a social networking system. In some implementations, the atleast one data store 114 can store information associated with thesocial networking system (e.g., the social networking system 730 of FIG.7). The information associated with the social networking system caninclude data about users, social connections, social interactions,locations, geo-fenced areas, maps, places, events, pages, groups, posts,communications, content, feeds, account settings, privacy settings, asocial graph, and various other types of data. In some implementations,the at least one data store 114 can store information associated withusers, such as user identifiers, user information, profile information,user specified settings, content produced or posted by users, andvarious other types of user data.

The content provider module 102 can be configured to provide users withaccess to content that is posted through a social networking system. Forexample, the content module 104 can provide a first user with access tomedia content items through an interface that is provided by a softwareapplication (e.g., a social networking application, browser, etc.)running on a computing device of the first user. The first user can alsouse the interface to post media content items to the social networkingsystem. Such media content items may include text, images, audio, andvideos, for example. In some embodiments, the software application isconfigured to send information describing user actions to the socialnetworking system. Such information can include, for example, whichmedia content items the first user has viewed, a respective viewduration for each media content item, and other actions (e.g., like,comment, share, etc.) performed by the user with respect to a givenmedia content item, to name some examples.

In various embodiments, other users of the social networking system canaccess media content items posted by the first user. In one example, theother users can access the media content items by searching for thefirst user, for example, by user name through an interface provided by asoftware application (e.g., a social networking application, browser,etc.) running on their respective computing devices. In some instances,some users may want to see media content items posted by the first userin their respective content feed. To cause media content items posted bythe first user to be included in their respective content feed, a usercan select an option through the interface to subscribe to, or “follow”,the first user. The follow module 106 can process the user's request byidentifying the user as a follower of (or “friend” of) the first user inthe social networking system. As a result, some or all media contentitems that are posted by the first user can automatically be included inthe respective content feed of the user. If the user decides that theyno longer want to see content from the first user in their respectivecontent feed, the user can select an option through the interface to“unfollow” the first user. As a result, the follow module 106 can removethe association between the user and the first user so that mediacontent items posted by the first user are no longer included in thecontent feed of the user. In some instances, the user may want toendorse, or “like”, a media content item. In such instances, the usercan select an option provided in the interface to like the desired mediacontent item. The interaction module 108 can determine when a user likesa given media content item and can store information describing thisrelationship. In some instances, the user may want to post a comment inresponse to a media content item. In such instances, the user can selectan option provided in the interface to enter and post the comment forthe desired media content item. The interaction module 108 can determinewhen a user posts a comment in response to a given media content itemand can store information describing this relationship. In someembodiments, such information can be stored in a social graph asdescribed in reference to FIG. 7.

In various embodiments, the creative tools module 110 is configured toprovide users with an interface for visually modifying media contentitems that are published through the social networking system. Moredetails regarding the creative tools module 110 will be provided belowwith reference to FIG. 2. In some embodiments, the navigation gesturesmodule 112 is configured to perform various operations in response totouch screen gestures that are performed by users. More detailsregarding the navigation gestures module 112 will be provided below withreference to FIG. 3.

FIG. 2 illustrates a creative tools module 202, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the creativetools module 110 of FIG. 1 can be implemented with the creative toolsmodule 202. As shown in the example of FIG. 2, the creative tools module202 can include a text overlay module 204, a drawing module 206, a colorselection module 208, a graphical overlay module 210, and an animationmodule 212.

In various embodiments, the creative tools module 202 can provide anediting interface that allows users to visually modify their mediacontent items. For example, a user operating a computing device canaccess the editing interface through a software application (e.g., asocial networking application) running on the computing device. In oneexample, the editing interface may be accessed when the user is sharinga media content item through the social networking system. The editinginterface can provide the user with various options for visuallymodifying the media content item. Once the visual modifications havebeen made, the media content item can be shared through the socialnetworking system. In some embodiments, the user has an option to sharethe modified media content item either through an ephemeral content feedor a non-ephemeral content feed. When included in the ephemeral contentfeed, the media content item can be available to other users (e.g.,followers of the user) for a shortened period of time, i.e., the mediacontent item is temporarily available. When included in thenon-ephemeral content feed, the media content item can be available tothe other users for some longer period of time. These periods of timecan be pre-defined by the social networking system or, in someembodiments, by the user posting the media content item. In someembodiments, a media content item in the non-ephemeral content feed canbe available through the social networking system until deleted by theuser.

In some embodiments, the editing interface can provide an option foradding one or more text overlays to the media content item. When thisoption is selected, the text overlay module 204 can allow the user toinput text through the computing device to be incorporated into themedia content item. In some embodiments, a virtual keyboard is presentedin the editing interface to allow the user to input text. The use canmodify the font, or style, used for the text overlays. The user can alsomodify the color(s) used for the text overlays through the colorselection module 204, as described below. In various embodiments, theuser can drag and position the text overlays in the media content itemas desired. In some embodiments, a text overlay can be wrapped, forexample, around shapes (e.g., circle, square, etc.) to createcurve-shaped or bent text.

In some embodiments, the editing interface can provide an option fordrawing content in the media content item. When this option is selected,the drawing module 206 can allow the user to select a virtual writinginstrument with which the user can use to virtually draw in the mediacontent item. In some embodiments, the virtual writing instruments thatare available for selection include a marker, a brush, a magic marker,and eraser. FIG. 4A illustrates an example 400 of an interface 402accessible through a computing device. The example interface 402includes options for selecting virtual writing instruments including avirtual marker 404, a virtual brush 406, a virtual magic marker 408, anda virtual eraser 410. The example interface 402 also includes a colorpalette 412 from which the user can select colors to be used whendrawing with the selected writing instrument. In some embodiments, theuser can adjust the tip size 416 of a selected writing instrument, forexample, by increasing or decreasing a tip size selector 414. Theexample of FIG. 4B illustrates the tip size 420 of the writinginstrument increasing as the tip size selector 418 is increased. FIG. 4Cillustrates another example approach for adjusting the tip size of theselected writing instrument. For example, in FIG. 4C, the user canselect one of the pre-defined tip sizes 424 to select the tip size. Oncea virtual writing instrument is selected, the user can draw using thevirtual writing instrument directly through a touch screen display 422of the computing device, for example, using the user's finger as thedrawing instrument. In some embodiments, the creative tools module 202can allow the user to perform multiple selections using touch screengestures. In one example, the user can select a color from a colorpalette, for example, using a tap gesture. Next, while the user's fingerremains touching the display screen, the user can move the fingerhorizontally to the left or right to adjust the tip size of the selectedwriting instrument. For example, the tip size can increase as the user'sfinger slides to the right. Similarly, the tip size can decrease as theuser's finger slides to the left. In some embodiments, the user canselect an option to obtain, or download, different sets of virtualwriting instruments (e.g., brushes styled after popular artists, etc.)that are available through the social networking system. In someembodiments, the user can select an option to purchase different sets ofvirtual writing instruments that are available through the socialnetworking system.

In some embodiments, the user can select the virtual magic marker astheir writing instrument to draw using one or more inks that are styledto create a particular effect. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4D,the user can select the virtual magic marker 408 through the interface430 being accessed through the computing device. Once the virtual magicmarker 408 has been selected, the interface 430 can present a number ofvirtual ink options 434 for selection. The drawings created using thevirtual magic marker 408 can correspond to the selected virtual ink.Some example virtual inks can include a metal ink that simulates ametallic effect in the drawn portions, a sketchy ink that simulates asketched drawing effect, a neon ink that simulates neon light (e.g.,flickering neon light) in the drawn portions, a fire ink that simulatesfire in the drawn portions, and an electric ink that simulateselectricity in the drawn portions. In the example of FIG. 4D, the userhas selected the neon virtual ink option through the touch screendisplay. FIGS. 4E-F illustrate an interface 440 in which the user isdrawing “3 years!” 442 using the selected virtual magic marker and theselected neon virtual ink. The user has the option to erase any portionof the drawing using the eraser option, as described above. As shown,the drawing 442 appears as an overlay in the media content item 444. Theuser can select an option 446 to finalize the visual modifications madeto the media content item 444. In some embodiments, rather than drawingtext (e.g., the drawing 442), the user can input the text using avirtual keyboard and the drawing module 206 can automatically style thetext using the desired writing instrument (e.g., virtual magic marker)and style option (e.g., a color from the color palette or a virtualink).

In various embodiments, the color selection module 208 can provide theuser with options for selecting a color to be used, for example, whendrawing using a virtual writing instrument or inputting text. In someembodiments, the color selection module 208 provides a virtual colorpalette that includes options for selecting various colors that areavailable. In some embodiments, the color selection module 208 providesa virtual color spectrum from which the user can select colors. Forexample, the user can tap and navigate the user's finger across thevirtual color spectrum to choose a desired color. In some embodiments,the creative tools interface can provide an eyedropper tool option. Theuser can use the eyedropper tool to select a portion of a media contentitem. Upon selecting the portion, the color selection module 208 canselect a color corresponding to the selected portion for the user, forexample, to be used when drawing or inputting text. In some embodiments,once the color selection module 208 identifies the color correspondingto the portion selected using the eyedropper tool, the color selectionmodule 208 can provide a virtual color palette of colors that arerelated to the identified color. Such related colors may be determinedusing generally known color processing techniques (e.g., color wheels,etc.). In some embodiments, the user can select an option to obtain, ordownload, different sets of colors that are available through the socialnetworking system. In some embodiments, the user can select an option topurchase different sets of colors that are available through the socialnetworking system.

In some embodiments, the graphical overlay module 210 can provide theuser with options for inserting graphical overlays in media contentitems. For example, the graphical overlay module 210 can provide theuser with a set of virtual stickers that can be inserted in a mediacontent item. Upon selecting one or more of the virtual stickers, thegraphical overlay module 210 can insert the selected virtual stickersinto the desired media content item. The user can drag and position anyof the virtual stickers in the media content item as desired, forexample, by performing various touch screen gestures (e.g., draggesture). In some embodiments, the user can select an option to obtain,or download, different sets of virtual stickers that are availablethrough the social networking system. In some embodiments, the user canselect an option to purchase different sets of virtual stickers that areavailable through the social networking system. In some embodiments, thegraphical overlay module 210 provides suggestions for graphicaloverlays, or virtual stickers, to be used in a media content item. Insuch embodiments, the graphical overlay module 210 can analyze thesubject matter of the media content item, for example, using a trainedmachine learning model (e.g., content classifier) to identify variousobjects (e.g., identities, or names, of individuals, objects,activities, products, logos, animals, points of interest, or otherconcepts) present in the media content item. Based on the identifiedobjects, the graphical overlay module 210 can suggest various graphicaloverlays to the user. For example, if a media content item is aself-portrait (or selfie) of a user, then the graphical overlay module210 can provide a virtual sticker representing a speech bubble as onesuggestion. The user can then input text to be included in the speechbubble, as described above.

In some embodiments, the animation module 212 can provide the user withoptions for animating text. For example, after inputting text, the usercan select an animate option that causes the text to animate. Theanimate options can include options to make characters in the text tomove in one or more directions (e.g., jiggling characters, text movesalong in a specified trajectory or path, text moves around in theinterface and bounces off the edges of the interface, etc.). In someembodiments, the text is animated using various shading techniques thatenhance the appearance of the text. In some embodiments, the shading ofthe text changes in response to various device-based gestures. In oneexample, the shading of the text can change as the user tilts thecomputing device on which the shaded text is being displayed. In thisexample, the text can be shaded differently depending on the axis alongwhich the computing device is tilted or rotated. Various sensors in thecomputing device can be utilized to determine the direction and/oramount of tilt or rotation. The animation module 212 can appropriatelyshade the text based on these determinations. In some embodiments, theuser can select a color theme to be used for shading the text.

In some embodiments, the animation module 212 can provide the user withoptions for inserting animated graphical overlays in media contentitems. In some embodiments, the graphical overlays are animated virtualstickers, as described above. In some embodiments, the graphicaloverlays are animated to trace, or follow, a one or more paths,trajectories, or boundaries of objects in the media content item. Forexample, FIGS. 4G-J illustrate an interface 450 in which a media contentitem 452 is presented. In this example, the user operating the computingdevice can select an animation option to select from one or moreanimated graphical overlay options. Some examples of animated graphicaloverlays can include a lightning bolt animation, a perforated edgeanimation, or a laser beam animation, to name some examples. In theexample of FIGS. 4G-J, the user has selected a lightning bolt animationthat traces an outline 456 of a person 454 in the media content item. Inresponse, a lightning bolt 456 is animated along the outline of theperson 454. In some embodiments, the rate, or speed, at which thegraphical overlay (e.g., lightning bolt) is animated can be adjusted. Insome embodiments, the user operating the computing device can manuallydefine an outline along which a graphical overlay will be animated in amedia content item. In some embodiments, the animation module 212 canautomatically determine one or more outlines along which a graphicaloverlay will be animated in a media content item, for example, usinggenerally known line detection techniques and/or edge detectiontechniques. Such outlines can be provided to the user as suggestions foruse in the media content item. FIGS. 4K-L illustrate another example ofan animated graphical overlay. For example, FIGS. 4K-L illustrate aninterface 460 in which a media content item 462 is presented. In thisexample, the user operating the computing device has selected ananimation option to cause a graphical overlay 466 (e.g., a laser beamanimation) to be animated in the media content item 462. In thisexample, the laser beam 466 originates from the eyes of a person 464 andprojects toward a distant point or region of the interface 460. In someembodiments, the user operating the computing device can manually definea start point and an end point along which a graphical overlay will beanimated in a media content item. In some embodiments, the animationmodule 212 can automatically determine a start point and an end pointalong which a graphical overlay will be animated in a media contentitem. For example, in some embodiments, animated graphical overlays canbe suggested by detecting facial features in a media content item usinggenerally known face detection techniques. In this example, the startpoint and/or end point for a given animated graphical overlay can bedetermined based on facial features (e.g., eyes, nose, mouth, ears,etc.) that were detected in the media content item.

In some embodiments, the animation module 212 can provide an option tocreate a video loop, or boomerang, of a set of captured video frames.For example, when the option is selected, the user can capture a videocontent using the computing device. Once captured, the animation module212 can create a media content item that includes a continuous loop ofthe video content. In some embodiments, the video loop is limited to apre-defined video length. In some embodiments, the animation module 212instructs the computing device to automatically capture video contentwhen a camera mode is enabled without any action from the user. In suchembodiments, the user can select the video loop option at any time and,in response, the animation module 212 will create a video loop using aportion of frames that were being captured up until the user selectedthe video loop option. The examples herein describe the ability toaccess various interfaces and/or features by selecting appropriateoptions through a computing device being operated by a user. In someembodiments, such interfaces and/or features may also be accessed byperforming appropriate touch screen gestures.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example navigation gestures module 302, accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, thenavigation gestures module 112 of FIG. 1 can be implemented with thenavigation gestures module 302. As shown in the example of FIG. 3, thenavigation gestures module 302 can include a camera mode module 304, acontent browse module 306, an account browse module 308, and a pausemodule 310.

In various embodiments, the navigation gestures module 302 is configuredto perform operations in response to detecting various touch screengestures that are performed by the user operating the computing device.For example, as mentioned, the user operating the computing device caninteract with the social networking system to access various contentfeeds in which media content items are presented.

While accessing a content feed, in some embodiments, the user canperform gestures to activate various certain features. For example, insome embodiments, when the user performs a swipe gesture (e.g., swipingfrom the left edge of the display screen or swiping from the right edgeof the display screen), the camera mode module 304 is configured topresent a camera interface in the display screen of the computingdevice. The user can interact with the camera interface to capture mediacontent items to be posted through the social networking system. In someembodiments, the camera mode module 304 provides a camera interface thatis built into the software application (e.g., social networkingapplication) running on the computing device. In some embodiments, thecamera mode module 304 causes a camera application in the computingdevice to be opened or executed.

As mentioned, a user can access content feeds that include media contentitems that were posted through the social networking system. There maybe any number of content feeds that are accessible through the socialnetworking system. For example, each user of the social networkingsystem may have an ephemeral content feed in which ephemeral mediacontent items posted by the user are included as well as a non-ephemeralcontent feed in which non-ephemeral media content items posted by theuser are included. In some embodiments, the user can access a contentfeed that includes media content items (ephemeral and/or non-ephemeral)that were posted by the user's friends (e.g., users being followed) inthe social networking system. In general, the user operating thecomputing device can navigate a content feed, for example, using scrollgestures (e.g., performing an upward or downward scroll gesture) to viewthe media content items that are included in the content feed. In someembodiments, while viewing a media content item that was posted by afirst user, the user operating the computing device can perform a tapgesture to view another media content item that was posted by the firstuser. For example, when the tap gesture is detected, the content browsemodule 306 can obtain another media content item that was publishedthrough the social networking system by the first user and present themedia content item in the content feed interface. In some embodiments,the user can continue performing tap gestures to view additional mediacontent items from the first user. The media content items presented maycorrespond to the type of content feed that is being accessed. Forexample, if the user performs the tap gesture while browsing ephemeralmedia content items, then the content browse module 306 can obtain andpresent another ephemeral media content item that was posted by thatuser.

In some embodiments, while browsing a content feed, the user can performa swipe gesture (e.g., swiping left) through the touch screen display toswitch to another user's content feed. In such embodiments, when theswipe gesture is detected, the account browse module 308 can identifyanother user of the social networking system that is being followed bythe user. The account browse module 308 can then change the displayedcontent feed to correspond to a content feed of the other user. The useroperating the computing device can continue navigating the other user'scontent feed as described above. In some embodiments, the user cancontinue performing the swipe gesture to access content feeds of otherusers (e.g., friends or otherwise). In some embodiments, the user canperform a swipe gesture in the opposite direction (e.g., swipe right) toreturn to a content feed that was previously presented. In someembodiments, the account browse module 308 presents a visual transitionwhen advancing to another content feed, as illustrated in the example ofFIGS. 4M-O. For example, in FIG. 4M, the user operating the computingdevice has performed a swipe gesture in an interface 470 while viewing amedia content item 472 that was posted by a first user in a firstcontent feed. In some embodiments, a visual cube transformation 476 ispresented in the interface 470 upon detecting the swipe gesture, asillustrated in FIG. 4N. The visual cube transformation 470 can partiallydisplay both the media content item 472 that was being accessed in thefirst content feed and a media content item 474 that will be presentedfrom a second content feed. Once the visual cube transformation iscomplete, the media content item 474 is presented in the interface 470,as illustrated in FIG. 4O.

In some embodiments, the media content items presented can be videos. Insuch embodiments, the user can tap a video included in a content feed tobegin playback of the video. In some embodiments, the user can pause thevideo playback by performing a tap-and-hold gesture (or press-and-holdgesture) through the touch screen display of the computing device. Upondetecting the tap-and-hold gesture, the pause module 310 can pause thevideo playback until the user releases their finger from the touchscreen display screen. The video playback can resume once the userreleases their finger.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example method 500 for accessing a creative toolsinterface, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Itshould be appreciated that there can be additional, fewer, oralternative steps performed in similar or alternative orders, or inparallel, within the scope of the various embodiments discussed hereinunless otherwise stated.

At block 502, a creative tools interface that includes one or moreoptions for visually modifying at least one media content item to beposted through a social networking system is provided. At block 504, atleast one visual modification is applied to the media content item inresponse to a user selection of one or more of the options. At block506, the visually modified media content item is posted through thesocial networking system, wherein the user designates whether thevisually modified media content item is posted as an ephemeral mediacontent item or as a non-ephemeral media content item.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example method 600 for accessing a creative toolsanimation interface, according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. It should be appreciated that there can be additional,fewer, or alternative steps performed in similar or alternative orders,or in parallel, within the scope of the various embodiments discussedherein unless otherwise stated.

At block 602, a creative tools interface that includes one or moreoptions for visually animating at least one portion of a media contentitem to be posted through a social networking system is provided. Atblock 604, at least one visual animation is applied to the media contentitem in response to a user selection of one or more of the options. Atblock 606, the visually animated media content item is posted throughthe social networking system, wherein the user designates whether thevisually animated media content item is posted as an ephemeral mediacontent item or as a non-ephemeral media content item.

It is contemplated that there can be many other uses, applications,and/or variations associated with the various embodiments of the presentdisclosure. For example, in some cases, user can choose whether or notto opt-in to utilize the disclosed technology. The disclosed technologycan also ensure that various privacy settings and preferences aremaintained and can prevent private information from being divulged. Inanother example, various embodiments of the present disclosure canlearn, improve, and/or be refined over time.

Social Networking System—Example Implementation

FIG. 7 illustrates a network diagram of an example system 700 that canbe utilized in various scenarios, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present disclosure. The system 700 includes one or more user devices710, one or more external systems 720, a social networking system (orservice) 730, and a network 750. In an embodiment, the social networkingservice, provider, and/or system discussed in connection with theembodiments described above may be implemented as the social networkingsystem 730. For purposes of illustration, the embodiment of the system700, shown by FIG. 7, includes a single external system 720 and a singleuser device 710. However, in other embodiments, the system 700 mayinclude more user devices 710 and/or more external systems 720. Incertain embodiments, the social networking system 730 is operated by asocial network provider, whereas the external systems 720 are separatefrom the social networking system 730 in that they may be operated bydifferent entities. In various embodiments, however, the socialnetworking system 730 and the external systems 720 operate inconjunction to provide social networking services to users (or members)of the social networking system 730. In this sense, the socialnetworking system 730 provides a platform or backbone, which othersystems, such as external systems 720, may use to provide socialnetworking services and functionalities to users across the Internet.

The user device 710 comprises one or more computing devices (or systems)that can receive input from a user and transmit and receive data via thenetwork 750. In one embodiment, the user device 710 is a conventionalcomputer system executing, for example, a Microsoft Windows compatibleoperating system (OS), Apple OS X, and/or a Linux distribution. Inanother embodiment, the user device 710 can be a computing device or adevice having computer functionality, such as a smart-phone, a tablet, apersonal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile telephone, a laptop computer,a wearable device (e.g., a pair of glasses, a watch, a bracelet, etc.),a camera, an appliance, etc. The user device 710 is configured tocommunicate via the network 750. The user device 710 can execute anapplication, for example, a browser application that allows a user ofthe user device 710 to interact with the social networking system 730.In another embodiment, the user device 710 interacts with the socialnetworking system 730 through an application programming interface (API)provided by the native operating system of the user device 710, such asiOS and ANDROID. The user device 710 is configured to communicate withthe external system 720 and the social networking system 730 via thenetwork 750, which may comprise any combination of local area and/orwide area networks, using wired and/or wireless communication systems.

In one embodiment, the network 750 uses standard communicationstechnologies and protocols. Thus, the network 750 can include linksusing technologies such as Ethernet, 802.11, worldwide interoperabilityfor microwave access (WiMAX), 3G, 4G, CDMA, GSM, LTE, digital subscriberline (DSL), etc. Similarly, the networking protocols used on the network750 can include multiprotocol label switching (MPLS), transmissioncontrol protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP), User Datagram Protocol(UDP), hypertext transport protocol (HTTP), simple mail transferprotocol (SMTP), file transfer protocol (FTP), and the like. The dataexchanged over the network 750 can be represented using technologiesand/or formats including hypertext markup language (HTML) and extensiblemarkup language (XML). In addition, all or some links can be encryptedusing conventional encryption technologies such as secure sockets layer(SSL), transport layer security (TLS), and Internet Protocol security(IPsec).

In one embodiment, the user device 710 may display content from theexternal system 720 and/or from the social networking system 730 byprocessing a markup language document 714 received from the externalsystem 720 and from the social networking system 730 using a browserapplication 712. The markup language document 714 identifies content andone or more instructions describing formatting or presentation of thecontent. By executing the instructions included in the markup languagedocument 714, the browser application 712 displays the identifiedcontent using the format or presentation described by the markuplanguage document 714. For example, the markup language document 714includes instructions for generating and displaying a web page havingmultiple frames that include text and/or image data retrieved from theexternal system 720 and the social networking system 730. In variousembodiments, the markup language document 714 comprises a data fileincluding extensible markup language (XML) data, extensible hypertextmarkup language (XHTML) data, or other markup language data.Additionally, the markup language document 714 may include JavaScriptObject Notation (JSON) data, JSON with padding (JSONP), and JavaScriptdata to facilitate data-interchange between the external system 720 andthe user device 710. The browser application 712 on the user device 710may use a JavaScript compiler to decode the markup language document714.

The markup language document 714 may also include, or link to,applications or application frameworks such as FLASH™ or Unity™applications, the Silverlight™ application framework, etc.

In one embodiment, the user device 710 also includes one or more cookies716 including data indicating whether a user of the user device 710 islogged into the social networking system 730, which may enablemodification of the data communicated from the social networking system730 to the user device 710.

The external system 720 includes one or more web servers that includeone or more web pages 722 a, 722 b, which are communicated to the userdevice 710 using the network 750. The external system 720 is separatefrom the social networking system 730. For example, the external system720 is associated with a first domain, while the social networkingsystem 730 is associated with a separate social networking domain. Webpages 722 a, 722 b, included in the external system 720, comprise markuplanguage documents 714 identifying content and including instructionsspecifying formatting or presentation of the identified content. Asdiscussed previously, it should be appreciated that there can be manyvariations or other possibilities.

The social networking system 730 includes one or more computing devicesfor a social network, including a plurality of users, and providingusers of the social network with the ability to communicate and interactwith other users of the social network. In some instances, the socialnetwork can be represented by a graph, i.e., a data structure includingedges and nodes. Other data structures can also be used to represent thesocial network, including but not limited to databases, objects,classes, meta elements, files, or any other data structure. The socialnetworking system 730 may be administered, managed, or controlled by anoperator. The operator of the social networking system 730 may be ahuman being, an automated application, or a series of applications formanaging content, regulating policies, and collecting usage metricswithin the social networking system 730. Any type of operator may beused.

Users may join the social networking system 730 and then add connectionsto any number of other users of the social networking system 730 to whomthey desire to be connected. As used herein, the term “friend” refers toany other user of the social networking system 730 to whom a user hasformed a connection, association, or relationship via the socialnetworking system 730. For example, in an embodiment, if users in thesocial networking system 730 are represented as nodes in the socialgraph, the term “friend” can refer to an edge formed between anddirectly connecting two user nodes.

Connections may be added explicitly by a user or may be automaticallycreated by the social networking system 730 based on commoncharacteristics of the users (e.g., users who are alumni of the sameeducational institution). For example, a first user specifically selectsa particular other user to be a friend. Connections in the socialnetworking system 730 are usually in both directions, but need not be,so the terms “user” and “friend” depend on the frame of reference.Connections between users of the social networking system 730 areusually bilateral (“two-way”), or “mutual,” but connections may also beunilateral, or “one-way.” For example, if Bob and Joe are both users ofthe social networking system 730 and connected to each other, Bob andJoe are each other's connections. If, on the other hand, Bob wishes toconnect to Joe to view data communicated to the social networking system730 by Joe, but Joe does not wish to form a mutual connection, aunilateral connection may be established. The connection between usersmay be a direct connection; however, some embodiments of the socialnetworking system 730 allow the connection to be indirect via one ormore levels of connections or degrees of separation.

In addition to establishing and maintaining connections between usersand allowing interactions between users, the social networking system730 provides users with the ability to take actions on various types ofitems supported by the social networking system 730. These items mayinclude groups or networks (i.e., social networks of people, entities,and concepts) to which users of the social networking system 730 maybelong, events or calendar entries in which a user might be interested,computer-based applications that a user may use via the socialnetworking system 730, transactions that allow users to buy or sellitems via services provided by or through the social networking system730, and interactions with advertisements that a user may perform on oroff the social networking system 730. These are just a few examples ofthe items upon which a user may act on the social networking system 730,and many others are possible. A user may interact with anything that iscapable of being represented in the social networking system 730 or inthe external system 720, separate from the social networking system 730,or coupled to the social networking system 730 via the network 750.

The social networking system 730 is also capable of linking a variety ofentities. For example, the social networking system 730 enables users tointeract with each other as well as external systems 720 or otherentities through an API, a web service, or other communication channels.The social networking system 730 generates and maintains the “socialgraph” comprising a plurality of nodes interconnected by a plurality ofedges. Each node in the social graph may represent an entity that canact on another node and/or that can be acted on by another node. Thesocial graph may include various types of nodes. Examples of types ofnodes include users, non-person entities, media content items, webpages, groups, activities, messages, concepts, and any other things thatcan be represented by an object in the social networking system 730. Anedge between two nodes in the social graph may represent a particularkind of connection, or association, between the two nodes, which mayresult from node relationships or from an action that was performed byone of the nodes on the other node. In some cases, the edges betweennodes can be weighted. The weight of an edge can represent an attributeassociated with the edge, such as a strength of the connection orassociation between nodes. Different types of edges can be provided withdifferent weights. For example, an edge created when one user “likes”another user may be given one weight, while an edge created when a userbefriends another user may be given a different weight.

As an example, when a first user identifies a second user as a friend,an edge in the social graph is generated connecting a node representingthe first user and a second node representing the second user. Asvarious nodes relate or interact with each other, the social networkingsystem 730 modifies edges connecting the various nodes to reflect therelationships and interactions.

The social networking system 730 also includes user-generated content,which enhances a user's interactions with the social networking system730. User-generated content may include anything a user can add, upload,send, or “post” to the social networking system 730. For example, a usercommunicates posts to the social networking system 730 from a userdevice 710. Posts may include data such as status updates or othertextual data, location information, images such as photos, videos,links, music or other similar data and/or media. Content may also beadded to the social networking system 730 by a third party. Content“items” are represented as objects in the social networking system 730.In this way, users of the social networking system 730 are encouraged tocommunicate with each other by posting text and media content items ofvarious types of media through various communication channels. Suchcommunication increases the interaction of users with each other andincreases the frequency with which users interact with the socialnetworking system 730.

The social networking system 730 includes a web server 732, an APIrequest server 734, a user profile store 736, a connection store 738, anaction logger 740, an activity log 742, and an authorization server 744.In an embodiment of the invention, the social networking system 730 mayinclude additional, fewer, or different components for variousapplications. Other components, such as network interfaces, securitymechanisms, load balancers, failover servers, management and networkoperations consoles, and the like are not shown so as to not obscure thedetails of the system.

The user profile store 736 maintains information about user accounts,including biographic, demographic, and other types of descriptiveinformation, such as work experience, educational history, hobbies orpreferences, location, and the like that has been declared by users orinferred by the social networking system 730. This information is storedin the user profile store 736 such that each user is uniquelyidentified. The social networking system 730 also stores data describingone or more connections between different users in the connection store738. The connection information may indicate users who have similar orcommon work experience, group memberships, hobbies, or educationalhistory. Additionally, the social networking system 730 includesuser-defined connections between different users, allowing users tospecify their relationships with other users. For example, user-definedconnections allow users to generate relationships with other users thatparallel the users' real-life relationships, such as friends,co-workers, partners, and so forth. Users may select from predefinedtypes of connections, or define their own connection types as needed.Connections with other nodes in the social networking system 730, suchas non-person entities, buckets, cluster centers, images, interests,pages, external systems, concepts, and the like are also stored in theconnection store 738.

The social networking system 730 maintains data about objects with whicha user may interact. To maintain this data, the user profile store 736and the connection store 738 store instances of the corresponding typeof objects maintained by the social networking system 730. Each objecttype has information fields that are suitable for storing informationappropriate to the type of object. For example, the user profile store736 contains data structures with fields suitable for describing auser's account and information related to a user's account. When a newobject of a particular type is created, the social networking system 730initializes a new data structure of the corresponding type, assigns aunique object identifier to it, and begins to add data to the object asneeded. This might occur, for example, when a user becomes a user of thesocial networking system 730, the social networking system 730 generatesa new instance of a user profile in the user profile store 736, assignsa unique identifier to the user account, and begins to populate thefields of the user account with information provided by the user.

The connection store 738 includes data structures suitable fordescribing a user's connections to other users, connections to externalsystems 720 or connections to other entities. The connection store 738may also associate a connection type with a user's connections, whichmay be used in conjunction with the user's privacy setting to regulateaccess to information about the user. In an embodiment of the invention,the user profile store 736 and the connection store 738 may beimplemented as a federated database.

Data stored in the connection store 738, the user profile store 736, andthe activity log 742 enables the social networking system 730 togenerate the social graph that uses nodes to identify various objectsand edges connecting nodes to identify relationships between differentobjects. For example, if a first user establishes a connection with asecond user in the social networking system 730, user accounts of thefirst user and the second user from the user profile store 736 may actas nodes in the social graph. The connection between the first user andthe second user stored by the connection store 738 is an edge betweenthe nodes associated with the first user and the second user. Continuingthis example, the second user may then send the first user a messagewithin the social networking system 730. The action of sending themessage, which may be stored, is another edge between the two nodes inthe social graph representing the first user and the second user.Additionally, the message itself may be identified and included in thesocial graph as another node connected to the nodes representing thefirst user and the second user.

In another example, a first user may tag a second user in an image thatis maintained by the social networking system 730 (or, alternatively, inan image maintained by another system outside of the social networkingsystem 730). The image may itself be represented as a node in the socialnetworking system 730. This tagging action may create edges between thefirst user and the second user as well as create an edge between each ofthe users and the image, which is also a node in the social graph. Inyet another example, if a user confirms attending an event, the user andthe event are nodes obtained from the user profile store 736, where theattendance of the event is an edge between the nodes that may beretrieved from the activity log 742. By generating and maintaining thesocial graph, the social networking system 730 includes data describingmany different types of objects and the interactions and connectionsamong those objects, providing a rich source of socially relevantinformation.

The web server 732 links the social networking system 730 to one or moreuser devices 710 and/or one or more external systems 720 via the network750. The web server 732 serves web pages, as well as other web-relatedcontent, such as Java, JavaScript, Flash, XML, and so forth. The webserver 732 may include a mail server or other messaging functionalityfor receiving and routing messages between the social networking system730 and one or more user devices 710. The messages can be instantmessages, queued messages (e.g., email), text and SMS messages, or anyother suitable messaging format.

The API request server 734 allows one or more external systems 720 anduser devices 710 to call access information from the social networkingsystem 730 by calling one or more API functions. The API request server734 may also allow external systems 720 to send information to thesocial networking system 730 by calling APIs. The external system 720,in one embodiment, sends an API request to the social networking system730 via the network 750, and the API request server 734 receives the APIrequest. The API request server 734 processes the request by calling anAPI associated with the API request to generate an appropriate response,which the API request server 734 communicates to the external system 720via the network 750. For example, responsive to an API request, the APIrequest server 734 collects data associated with a user, such as theuser's connections that have logged into the external system 720, andcommunicates the collected data to the external system 720. In anotherembodiment, the user device 710 communicates with the social networkingsystem 730 via APIs in the same manner as external systems 720.

The action logger 740 is capable of receiving communications from theweb server 732 about user actions on and/or off the social networkingsystem 730. The action logger 740 populates the activity log 742 withinformation about user actions, enabling the social networking system730 to discover various actions taken by its users within the socialnetworking system 730 and outside of the social networking system 730.Any action that a particular user takes with respect to another node onthe social networking system 730 may be associated with each user'saccount, through information maintained in the activity log 742 or in asimilar database or other data repository. Examples of actions taken bya user within the social networking system 730 that are identified andstored may include, for example, adding a connection to another user,sending a message to another user, reading a message from another user,viewing content associated with another user, attending an event postedby another user, posting an image, attempting to post an image, or otheractions interacting with another user or another object. When a usertakes an action within the social networking system 730, the action isrecorded in the activity log 742. In one embodiment, the socialnetworking system 730 maintains the activity log 742 as a database ofentries. When an action is taken within the social networking system730, an entry for the action is added to the activity log 742. Theactivity log 742 may be referred to as an action log.

Additionally, user actions may be associated with concepts and actionsthat occur within an entity outside of the social networking system 730,such as an external system 720 that is separate from the socialnetworking system 730. For example, the action logger 740 may receivedata describing a user's interaction with an external system 720 fromthe web server 732. In this example, the external system 720 reports auser's interaction according to structured actions and objects in thesocial graph.

Other examples of actions where a user interacts with an external system720 include a user expressing an interest in an external system 720 oranother entity, a user posting a comment to the social networking system730 that discusses an external system 720 or a web page 722 a within theexternal system 720, a user posting to the social networking system 730a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or other identifier associated with anexternal system 720, a user attending an event associated with anexternal system 720, or any other action by a user that is related to anexternal system 720. Thus, the activity log 742 may include actionsdescribing interactions between a user of the social networking system730 and an external system 720 that is separate from the socialnetworking system 730.

The authorization server 744 enforces one or more privacy settings ofthe users of the social networking system 730. A privacy setting of auser determines how particular information associated with a user can beshared. The privacy setting comprises the specification of particularinformation associated with a user and the specification of the entityor entities with whom the information can be shared. Examples ofentities with which information can be shared may include other users,applications, external systems 720, or any entity that can potentiallyaccess the information. The information that can be shared by a usercomprises user account information, such as profile photos, phonenumbers associated with the user, user's connections, actions taken bythe user such as adding a connection, changing user profile information,and the like.

The privacy setting specification may be provided at different levels ofgranularity. For example, the privacy setting may identify specificinformation to be shared with other users; the privacy settingidentifies a work phone number or a specific set of related information,such as, personal information including profile photo, home phonenumber, and status. Alternatively, the privacy setting may apply to allthe information associated with the user. The specification of the setof entities that can access particular information can also be specifiedat various levels of granularity. Various sets of entities with whichinformation can be shared may include, for example, all friends of theuser, all friends of friends, all applications, or all external systems720. One embodiment allows the specification of the set of entities tocomprise an enumeration of entities. For example, the user may provide alist of external systems 720 that are allowed to access certaininformation. Another embodiment allows the specification to comprise aset of entities along with exceptions that are not allowed to access theinformation. For example, a user may allow all external systems 720 toaccess the user's work information, but specify a list of externalsystems 720 that are not allowed to access the work information. Certainembodiments call the list of exceptions that are not allowed to accesscertain information a “block list”. External systems 720 belonging to ablock list specified by a user are blocked from accessing theinformation specified in the privacy setting. Various combinations ofgranularity of specification of information, and granularity ofspecification of entities, with which information is shared arepossible. For example, all personal information may be shared withfriends whereas all work information may be shared with friends offriends.

The authorization server 744 contains logic to determine if certaininformation associated with a user can be accessed by a user's friends,external systems 720, and/or other applications and entities. Theexternal system 720 may need authorization from the authorization server744 to access the user's more private and sensitive information, such asthe user's work phone number. Based on the user's privacy settings, theauthorization server 744 determines if another user, the external system720, an application, or another entity is allowed to access informationassociated with the user, including information about actions taken bythe user.

In some embodiments, the social networking system 730 can include acontent provider module 746. The content provider module 746 can, forexample, be implemented as the content provider module 102 of FIG. 1. Insome embodiments, the content provider module 746, in whole or in part,may be implemented in a user device 710. As discussed previously, itshould be appreciated that there can be many variations or otherpossibilities.

Hardware Implementation

The foregoing processes and features can be implemented by a widevariety of machine and computer system architectures and in a widevariety of network and computing environments. FIG. 8 illustrates anexample of a computer system 800 that may be used to implement one ormore of the embodiments described herein in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. The computer system 800 includes sets ofinstructions for causing the computer system 800 to perform theprocesses and features discussed herein. The computer system 800 may beconnected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networkeddeployment, the computer system 800 may operate in the capacity of aserver machine or a client machine in a client-server networkenvironment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed)network environment. In an embodiment of the invention, the computersystem 800 may be the social networking system 730, the user device 710,and the external system 820, or a component thereof. In an embodiment ofthe invention, the computer system 800 may be one server among many thatconstitutes all or part of the social networking system 730.

The computer system 800 includes a processor 802, a cache 804, and oneor more executable modules and drivers, stored on a computer-readablemedium, directed to the processes and features described herein.Additionally, the computer system 800 includes a high performanceinput/output (I/O) bus 806 and a standard I/O bus 808. A host bridge 810couples processor 802 to high performance I/O bus 806, whereas I/O busbridge 812 couples the two buses 806 and 808 to each other. A systemmemory 814 and one or more network interfaces 816 couple to highperformance I/O bus 806. The computer system 800 may further includevideo memory and a display device coupled to the video memory (notshown). Mass storage 818 and I/O ports 820 couple to the standard I/Obus 808. The computer system 800 may optionally include a keyboard andpointing device, a display device, or other input/output devices (notshown) coupled to the standard I/O bus 808. Collectively, these elementsare intended to represent a broad category of computer hardware systems,including but not limited to computer systems based on thex86-compatible processors manufactured by Intel Corporation of SantaClara, Calif., and the x86-compatible processors manufactured byAdvanced Micro Devices (AMD), Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif., as well as anyother suitable processor.

An operating system manages and controls the operation of the computersystem 800, including the input and output of data to and from softwareapplications (not shown). The operating system provides an interfacebetween the software applications being executed on the system and thehardware components of the system. Any suitable operating system may beused, such as the LINUX Operating System, the Apple Macintosh OperatingSystem, available from Apple Computer Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., UNIXoperating systems, Microsoft® Windows® operating systems, BSD operatingsystems, and the like. Other implementations are possible.

The elements of the computer system 800 are described in greater detailbelow. In particular, the network interface 816 provides communicationbetween the computer system 800 and any of a wide range of networks,such as an Ethernet (e.g., IEEE 802.3) network, a backplane, etc. Themass storage 818 provides permanent storage for the data and programminginstructions to perform the above-described processes and featuresimplemented by the respective computing systems identified above,whereas the system memory 814 (e.g., DRAM) provides temporary storagefor the data and programming instructions when executed by the processor802. The I/O ports 820 may be one or more serial and/or parallelcommunication ports that provide communication between additionalperipheral devices, which may be coupled to the computer system 800.

The computer system 800 may include a variety of system architectures,and various components of the computer system 800 may be rearranged. Forexample, the cache 804 may be on-chip with processor 802. Alternatively,the cache 804 and the processor 802 may be packed together as a“processor module”, with processor 802 being referred to as the“processor core”. Furthermore, certain embodiments of the invention mayneither require nor include all of the above components. For example,peripheral devices coupled to the standard I/O bus 808 may couple to thehigh performance I/O bus 806. In addition, in some embodiments, only asingle bus may exist, with the components of the computer system 800being coupled to the single bus. Moreover, the computer system 800 mayinclude additional components, such as additional processors, storagedevices, or memories.

In general, the processes and features described herein may beimplemented as part of an operating system or a specific application,component, program, object, module, or series of instructions referredto as “programs”. For example, one or more programs may be used toexecute specific processes described herein. The programs typicallycomprise one or more instructions in various memory and storage devicesin the computer system 800 that, when read and executed by one or moreprocessors, cause the computer system 800 to perform operations toexecute the processes and features described herein. The processes andfeatures described herein may be implemented in software, firmware,hardware (e.g., an application specific integrated circuit), or anycombination thereof.

In one implementation, the processes and features described herein areimplemented as a series of executable modules run by the computer system800, individually or collectively in a distributed computingenvironment. The foregoing modules may be realized by hardware,executable modules stored on a computer-readable medium (ormachine-readable medium), or a combination of both. For example, themodules may comprise a plurality or series of instructions to beexecuted by a processor in a hardware system, such as the processor 802.Initially, the series of instructions may be stored on a storage device,such as the mass storage 818. However, the series of instructions can bestored on any suitable computer readable storage medium. Furthermore,the series of instructions need not be stored locally, and could bereceived from a remote storage device, such as a server on a network,via the network interface 816. The instructions are copied from thestorage device, such as the mass storage 818, into the system memory 814and then accessed and executed by the processor 802. In variousimplementations, a module or modules can be executed by a processor ormultiple processors in one or multiple locations, such as multipleservers in a parallel processing environment.

Examples of computer-readable media include, but are not limited to,recordable type media such as volatile and non-volatile memory devices;solid state memories; floppy and other removable disks; hard diskdrives; magnetic media; optical disks (e.g., Compact Disk Read-OnlyMemory (CD ROMS), Digital Versatile Disks (DVDs)); other similarnon-transitory (or transitory), tangible (or non-tangible) storagemedium; or any type of medium suitable for storing, encoding, orcarrying a series of instructions for execution by the computer system800 to perform any one or more of the processes and features describedherein.

For purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of the description. It will beapparent, however, to one skilled in the art that embodiments of thedisclosure can be practiced without these specific details. In someinstances, modules, structures, processes, features, and devices areshown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the description.In other instances, functional block diagrams and flow diagrams areshown to represent data and logic flows. The components of blockdiagrams and flow diagrams (e.g., modules, blocks, structures, devices,features, etc.) may be variously combined, separated, removed,reordered, and replaced in a manner other than as expressly describedand depicted herein.

Reference in this specification to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”,“other embodiments”, “one series of embodiments”, “some embodiments”,“various embodiments”, or the like means that a particular feature,design, structure, or characteristic described in connection with theembodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. Theappearances of, for example, the phrase “in one embodiment” or “in anembodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarilyall referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternativeembodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Moreover, whetheror not there is express reference to an “embodiment” or the like,various features are described, which may be variously combined andincluded in some embodiments, but also variously omitted in otherembodiments. Similarly, various features are described that may bepreferences or requirements for some embodiments, but not otherembodiments.

The language used herein has been principally selected for readabilityand instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected todelineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. It is thereforeintended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detaileddescription, but rather by any claims that issue on an application basedhereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodiments of the inventionis intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of theinvention, which is set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method comprising:providing, by a computing device, a creative tools interface thatincludes one or more options for visually animating at least one portionof a media content item to be posted through a social networking system,wherein the media content item provides a visual representation ofcaptured subject matter; determining, by the computing device, a userselection of an option to apply at least one visual animation to atleast one object represented in the media content item, wherein the atleast one visual animation traces an outline of the at least one object;determining, by the computing device, the outline of the at least oneobject based at least in part on an edge detection technique;determining, by the computing device, a rate at which the at least onevisual animation is animated, wherein the rate modifies a speed at whichthe at least one visual animation traces the outline of the at least oneobject; causing, by the computing device, the at least one visualanimation of the at least one object in response to a selection of anoption to animate the at least one visual animation; and causing, by thecomputing device, the visually animated media content item to be postedthrough the social networking system, wherein the user designateswhether the visually animated media content item is posted as anephemeral media content item or as a non-ephemeral media content item.2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein causing at leastone visual animation to be applied to the media content item furthercomprises: determining, by the computing device, that the user hasselected an option to animate a text overlay in the media content item;and causing, by the computing device, the text overlay to animate whenthe media content item is viewed based at least in part on the userselection.
 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein thetext is animated to simulate a shading effect.
 4. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the shading of the textchanges in response to one or more device gestures performed using thecomputing device.
 5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, whereincausing at least one visual animation to be applied to the media contentitem further comprises: determining, by the computing device, that theuser has selected an option to insert an animated graphical overlay inthe media content item; and causing, by the computing device, thegraphical overlay to animate when the media content item is viewed basedat least in part on the user selection.
 6. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 1, wherein causing at least one visual animation to beapplied to the media content item further comprises: determining, by thecomputing device, at least one object included in the subject mattercaptured in the media content item based at least in part on a trainedcontent classifier; determining, by the computing device, that the userhas selected an option to animate the object in the media content item;and causing, by the computing device, at least one graphical overlay toanimate at least one portion of the object when the media content itemis viewed.
 7. A system comprising: at least one processor; and a memorystoring instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor,cause the system to perform: providing a creative tools interface thatincludes one or more options for visually animating at least one portionof a media content item to be posted through a social networking system,wherein the media content item provides a visual representation ofcaptured subject matter; determining a user selection of an option toapply at least one visual animation to at least one object representedin the media content item, wherein the at least one visual animationtraces an outline of the at least one object; determining the outline ofthe at least one object based at least in part on an edge detectiontechnique; determining a rate at which the at least one visual animationis animated, wherein the rate modifies a speed at which the at least onevisual animation traces the outline of the at least one object; causingthe at least one visual animation of the at least one object in responseto a selection of an option to animate the at least one visualanimation; and causing the visually animated media content item to beposted through the social networking system, wherein the user designateswhether the visually animated media content item is posted as anephemeral media content item or as a non-ephemeral media content item.8. The system of claim 7, wherein causing at least one visual animationto be applied to the media content item further causes the system toperform: determining that the user has selected an option to animate atext overlay in the media content item; and causing the text overlay toanimate when the media content item is viewed based at least in part onthe user selection.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the text isanimated to simulate a shading effect.
 10. The system of claim 9,wherein the shading of the text changes in response to one or moredevice gestures performed using the computing device.
 11. The system ofclaim 7, wherein causing at least one visual animation to be applied tothe media content item further causes the system to perform: determiningthat the user has selected an option to insert an animated graphicaloverlay in the media content item; and causing the graphical overlay toanimate when the media content item is viewed based at least in part onthe user selection.
 12. The system of claim 7, wherein causing at leastone visual animation to be applied to the media content item furthercauses the system to perform: determining at least one object includedin the subject matter captured in the media content item based at leastin part on a trained content classifier; determining that the user hasselected an option to animate the object in the media content item; andcausing at least one graphical overlay to animate at least one portionof the object when the media content item is viewed.
 13. Anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructionsthat, when executed by at least one processor of a computing system,cause the computing system to perform a method comprising: providing acreative tools interface that includes one or more options for visuallyanimating at least one portion of a media content item to be postedthrough a social networking system, wherein the media content itemprovides a visual representation of captured subject matter; determininga user selection of an option to apply at least one visual animation toat least one object represented in the media content item, wherein theat least one visual animation traces an outline of the at least oneobject; determining the outline of the at least one object based atleast in part on an edge detection technique; determining a rate atwhich the at least one visual animation is animated, wherein the ratemodifies a speed at which the at least one visual animation traces theoutline of the at least one object; causing the at least one visualanimation of the at least one object in response to a selection of anoption to animate the at least one visual animation; and causing thevisually animated media content item to be posted through the socialnetworking system, wherein the user designates whether the visuallyanimated media content item is posted as an ephemeral media content itemor as a non-ephemeral media content item.
 14. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein causing at leastone visual animation to be applied to the media content item furthercauses the computing system to perform: determining that the user hasselected an option to animate a text overlay in the media content item;and causing the text overlay to animate when the media content item isviewed based at least in part on the user selection.
 15. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein thetext is animated to simulate a shading effect.
 16. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the shading of thetext changes in response to one or more device gestures performed usingthe computing device.
 17. The non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium of claim 13, wherein causing at least one visual animation to beapplied to the media content item further causes the computing system toperform: determining that the user has selected an option to insert ananimated graphical overlay in the media content item; and causing thegraphical overlay to animate when the media content item is viewed basedat least in part on the user selection.